Summer is a Fickle FriendYou're sitting in a lawn chair. You're playing corn hole or beach volleyball. You're sunbathing out by the pool. You're cooking out with your family and friends. Whatever you're doing this summer, chances are, you're going to get burned. BUT, fear not! There are a few handy ways to naturally treat sunburn. Here are just a few ways for you to treat the burn so that you can enjoy every possible minute of your summer! 1. Aloe Vera 2. Honey 3. Potatoes 4. Green Tea 5. Vinegar *Bonus: Drink LOTS of water. The more hydrated your body is, the faster it can heal. Aloe VeraI know. This one is a no-brainer. If you want to go really natural, you can grow your own Aloe Vera plant. All you do is take one of the matured Aloe leaves and cut it open. There will be a gel-like substance on the inside -- Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you PURE Aloe Vera gel! Slather the heavenly relief onto your burn and it'll heal in no time! Are you wanting to moisturize and heal at the same time? It may help to use a lotion that contains Aloe Vera. Beware, though. You want to check the ingredients and make sure that these are NOT in it: petroleum, benzocaine, or lidocaine. The petroleum will trap the heat in your skin (not really desirable if you want to get rid of the burn) and the benzocaine and lidocaine can irritate burned skin. Here are some examples of what you might be looking for: HoneyNo, I'm not crazy. I swear. Honey is such a versatile substance. The list of uses goes on and on! In this instance, honey works great as a topical salve for sunburn. That's right, squeeze it out and rub it on. The amazing healing and anti-bacterial properties of honey will treat your skin and ease the burn. Don't believe me? Try it out. As always, I recommend using 100% organic raw unfiltered honey. If it's local honey, even better! Any kind of natural honey will do, but if you want the serious stuff you'll need to get Manuka honey. It's pricey but worth it. PotatoesMaybe I should have saved the I'm not crazy exclamation for this section. But, it's true. Potatoes contain a starch-based compound that soothes sunburn. All you have to do is slice a raw, uncooked potato and either rub or pat the slice on your burn. If it's a bit more serious, you can always grate the raw potato and apply it as a poultice. The juice on the inside is what you want, so make sure you're rubbing the inside of the potato, not the skin, on your burn. Green TeaGreen tea is incredible. Not only does it have a ton of health benefits when you drink it, it likes to go above and beyond and be useful topically as well! Green tea contains two super helpful components, catechin and tannic acid, which help to relieve the pain caused by sunburn. All you need to do is soak a couple of tea bags in hot water, cool it off in the fridge (you want it to feel cool to the touch), and apply to the skin. If you want to, you can also just cool off the tea bags and use them as compresses for the burned areas. It's that simple! VinegarThere are a couple of awesome benefits to going this route for sunburn relief. First, the acetic acid in vinegar reduces itching, pain, and inflammation. That means you can add a cup of apple cider vinegar to your bath and soak away the pain. Second, vinegar acts as a natural pain reliever. Pat some apple cider vinegar onto your skin and feel the pain seep away for about 20-30 minutes. Have you tried anything that seems completely crazy to treat your sunburn...and it worked? Tell me in the comments below!
3 Comments
Marjy
5/30/2015 10:10:21 am
Mustard works for burns so you could try rubbing some on.
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Marjy
5/30/2015 10:10:22 am
Mustard works for burns so you could try rubbing some on.
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Herman
5/31/2015 08:49:40 am
Rub or pat with cotton ball - dark rum - and stay out of sun the rest of the day - burn home next day - can reapply more than once
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Kate MurphyI love all things natural. I love finding alternative methods. I love to write. Put it all together and you get this blog. Categories
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